Heat exchanger



United States Patent O 3,099,315 HEAT EXCHANGER Joseph H. Loehr, 5810 Ellen Ave., Cleveland 2, Ohio Filed May 27, 1959, Ser. No. 816,252 1 Claim. (Cl. 165-144) This invention relates to a heat exchanger and specifically to a heat exchanger employing discusashaped charn- Ibers having a unique huid-direction baie therein.

One objective of this invention is in the provision of a heat exchanger havin-g a plurality of chambers, each having -a perforated lbaie therein, so that the Igas or liquid being treated will be effectively forced against the outside peripheries of the heat-exchanging chambers.

A further object of this invention -is to provide a heat exchanger of a unique type which will inexpensively and efficiently cool or heat gases while occupying a small space.

Another objective of this invention is in the provision `of an adjustable return pipe yfor returning fluid from the chambers when the unit is used as lan evaporator. The structure of this latter objective also provides a novel access arrangement for injecting duid into the chambers for cleaning or eliminating foreign materials which become lodged in the cooling chambers.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent trom the lfollowing description, wherein reference is Imade to the accompanying drawings illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention.

-In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic elevational view of one form of the invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional View of several of the chambers with portions broken away;

FIG. 3 is a plan view of `a bafe plate;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of FIIG. 1; and

'FIG 5 is an enlarged sectional view of a portion of FIG. 1.

Referrin-g now to FIG. 1, there is shown a heat exchange uni-t designated by the numeral 10. This heat exchanger rnay be used as an evaporator, a cooler, or a heater of various liquids and gases, but tor purposes of describing the structure and the oper-ation of the heat exchanger, the specication will be directed primarily to the cooling of a liquid. However, the scope of the invention is not meant to be limited to such a use.

The cooling unit is comprised generally of an upper reservoir 12, a cooling system 14 and a reception or lower reservoir 16. The structure lof the cooling unit 14, which connects the upper and llower reservoirs, is the primary subject matter of this invention. A plurality of tubes 18 each lead from the upper reservoir 12 to the interior of the heat-exchanging chambens 20. The bottom of each chamber is, in turn, connected to another chamber 20 through tube sections 18. This arrangement is continued until a tier of chambers of the desired number is attained.

In FIG. 2 the chambers 20 are spaced more closely together than in FIG. 1. This is shown this way for illustration only. The `spacing between chambers will depend on the particular use and design of each particular heat exchanger.

-Each of the cooling chambers 20 is of .a discus-shaped design being comprised of two oppositely facing concave portions 22 and 24. These portions 22 and 24 are joined tightly at their Iperipheral edge 26. The upper and lower concave portions each have centrally disposed openings 28 coextensive with, and to receive tubes 18. This allows the reservoirs 12 and 16, the chamber 20 to be in communication with one another.

Each of the chambers 20 has a baffle plate 30 separating the chamber into two sub-chambers 21 `and 23. The

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bathe plates 30 are tightly joined to the concave portions 22 and 24 at the peripheral edge 26. Each of the plates has a centrally disposed aperture 33 for receiving a support rod or tube 35. The baille plates are spaced ialong the support rod and affixed thereto. The chambers are, in turn, aflixed to the plates. This arrangement is such that the primary support for each tier or stack of separated chambers is the centrally disposed rod 35. Rod 35 may have tube 42 slidable therein for purposes hereinafter disclosed.

As best seen in FIG. 3, there are shown a plurality of vanes 36 leading `from the central portion of the bale 30 and tapering toward the peripheral edge o-f the charnber. Spaced about the plate and near those portions of the vanes merging into the baffle plate, are orifices 32. Spaced intermediate orifices 32 are 4auxiliary orifices 34. These orifices allow communication lbetween the upper and lower compartments 21 and 23.

The ope-ration of the structure can best be understood by referring to FIG. 2. The liquid or :gases to be cooled will feed by gravity from upper tank 12 through connecting tube 18 into the upper compartment 21 of chamber 20. The liquid will strike vanes 36 and be forced outwardly in a spiral fashion tow-ard the periphery of the chamber and then into the lower compartment 23 through oriiices 32 and 34. The Iliquid will then swirl about the lower surface of 24, into the next lower chamber 20 lthrough the next connecting pipe 18. This operation continues through each of the succeeding chambers until the cool liquid is fed into lower tank 16, from which the liquid or gases can be levacuated for further use. The placement of the orifices with respect to the vanes Iwill set up a swirling action in the fluid as .it travels lfrom chamber to chamber. The design of the vanes will determine the amount of swirl imparted to the iiuid and the size and number of the oriiices will determine the speed at which the fluid will travel from compartment to compartment.

Referring Iagain to FIG. 2, the support tube or rod 35 may be provided with a plurality of orifices 40 placed adjacent the upper zand lower compartments of each chamber. Slidable within tube 35 is the tube 42 having orices 43 adapted to match with the orifices in tube 35. The orices in the slidable tube may be manually or automatically controlled so that they lmay normally be, or not be, in communication with the openings in tube 42. The means to slidably lmove tube 42 within rod 35 may be of any conventional design. When the openings are aligned, a cleaning spray can be ejected into every compartment for cleaning the chambers. The orifices may also be used as a centrally disposed fluid return and evaporation out-let when the heat exchanger is being used as an evaporator.

The size of the openings to the chambers in controlled by how perfectly the sets of oriiices `are allowed to match between the two tubes. The inner tube, when used as a return pipe, would then transmit the fluid to any point desired.

FIGS. 1 and 4 show that the complete cooling unit consists of a battery of tiers or stacks of chambers connecting the upper and lower reservoirs. 'Ilhe discusshaped chambers allow eicient nesting between adjacent tiers.

Alternate tiers may be used to heat and cool ui-ds respectively. For instance, every other tier could be used to cool iluids received from. reservoir :12, and the remaining tiers could be used to heat fluids from another source. The interlacing of the chambers would then aid in the performance of each function.

Auxiliary booster-type unit-s 50 may Ibe interlaced between the chambers to aid them in their heating or cooling iiunctions. For instance, the units` may be hot air 3 ducts if the unit is used as a cooler, or it could :be a cold water duct if the unit is used as an evaporator.

The frame which houses `the heat-exchanging mechanism is designated .by the numeral 52 in FIG. 4. Note how the framing is slightly'sloped' from' front vto rear, so that the unit may be rmly iin-placed in existing radiator cavities.

When the unit is used as an evaporator, the rod 35 is increased in diameter `so that it will slidably engage the tube -sections 18, 118', etc. Ther rod 42 is likewise increased to remain in slidable relationship with rod 35. Gases converted to liquid in the chambers will then go through matched orifices 40 and 43 to the interior of rod 42 to their points of use.

The orices 40 and 42 can, of course, be spaced horizontally from each other around their respective rods, rather than vertically. They may then be matched -by rotating rod 42, rather than slidin-g it vertically. The particular means by which tube 42 is slidably received' in rod 35 is not within the scope of this invention. The tube may be threadedly received in rod 35 or have a beveled gear of conventional ydesign at one end so that it is -rotated in response to a control mechanism.

The structure may be used for a variety of purposes. For example, if a breakdown of a lluid is `desire-d, the fluid is placed under a rst pressure and permitted to travel throughout a tier. A second material, in tube 42 at a much higher pressure, is ejected at high speeds through the matched orices 40 and 43 into compartments 21 and 23. This material will, in effect, be `sprayed against the ow of travel of the rst fluid vfor e'icient breakdown. As yan aid in spraying the second material againstlthe flow of the tir-st Huid, nozzles 54 may extend outwardly from orifices 43, as shown in FIG. 5.

yIn a general manner, while (I have, in the above de'- scription, disclosed'whatI deem to be practical and eilicient embodiments of my invention, it should be well understood that I do notwish to be limited thereto, as

there might be changes made in 'the arrangement, disposition and `form of the parts without departing from 4 cluding, a plurality of `generally discus-shapedholllow containers arranged in vertically superimposed concentric alignment, each of said containers being provided with concentric openings in .their upper and lower Walls, conduit means extending between adjacent containers in fluidtight connection with said openings to establish communication between the interiors of said containers, hollow rod means extending concentrically through said openings and the interiors of said plurality of containers, said rod ymeans being of substantially less diameter than said openings and includingl a fpair of concentric tubes, one of said tubes 4being slidable with respect .to the other tube, thek outermost of said pair of tubes having openings in communication -with the interior of each container, the innertube of said pair of tubes in one position having openings in registry with .the openings in `said `onetube, and in .another position being out of registry to close the openings, a fixed `horizontal baille plate in each of said containers, said plates `extending radially between .said hollow rod means and the peripheries of each containerand being4 in fluid-tight engagement with and supported by said hollow rodxrneans and said peripheries to divide each container into upper yand lower compartments, and a plurality of curvilinear vanes disposed on the upper side of each baille plate in close pnoximity with and extending radially outwardly from said hollow rod means and the center of said baffle plate, whereby iluid flowing from one container .through said conduit means and about said hollow rod means into another container `will strike said vanes on said baieplates .at points near said hollow rod means and be forced outwardly in a spiral fashion toward the periphery of the container, said bame plates having openings provided therein adjacent the outer extremities of said vanes.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 418,939 Bradford Ian. 7, 1890 715,604 Reid Dec. 9, Y1902.

838,966 Drew Dec. 18, 1906 1,327,165 `Merritt .'an.y 6, 1920 v 1,656,790 HeijkenskjoldY Ian. 17,1928 

